CHU SUWANNAPHA

The designer of CHULAAP makes a case for the power and timelessness of African print, with its bold colours and textures that celebrate the continent.

CHULAAP is all about celebrating Africa. The main inspiration for my winter 2018 collection is Mapantsula dance and the idea of dapper vs boho = AFRICAN JOKER. It’s tradition with a modern twist, so we mixed African prints with checks, tartans, diamond, argyle and circle prints, along with the quirkiness of my comb prints. The styling was inspired by Phyllis

Galembo’s book Maske. Made in SA is the main concept for the accessories. I collaborated with three designers; Simon and Mary for the mini peak hats, Ifele for the Zulu Sandals, and Rings And Things for all the finishing touches. I played with a mix of textures like zebra skins with studs, African beads and shells neckties, crochets pins, origami necklace. The talk of the collection was the faceless models with the knitted masks, I wanted to draw attention to the prints and the outfits instead of the models’ expressions. Every print tells a story, it’s like wearable art for me. I use at least 8-10 prints minimum in each collection. I experiment with printing my original prints over the existing African prints and play with different colours. As an outsider, when I hear the word “AFRICA”, I see bold prints and bold colour. I love the African prints and bold colour and textures, and I also love the “easy comes and easy goes” attitude and the fact that you can stick with one style and keep it forever. Five things about me. 1. I can make a very good Thai Green Curry dish; 2. Castle beer is my favourite drink; 3. I’m addicted to chillies; 4. I never swim because I cannot swim; 5. I can’t leave the house without praying to the Buddha.